At the end of May, the atmosphere at Staples Center was suffocating.
Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, a thrilling battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings, has just concluded amidst chaos and intense physical clashes.
This was a pure war of attrition. The Kings ' dazzling Princeton offense was severely disrupted by the high-pressure defense in Game 7, while the Los Angeles Lakers, a luxurious fleet cobbled together from veterans and superstars, were almost pushed to the brink of collapse by fatigue.
The broadcast camera panned across the court. 38-year-old Michael Jordan, hands on his knees, sweat dripping onto the floor. He hit a crucial mid-range fadeaway jumper in the final moments of the fourth quarter, but at the cost of not getting a single minute of rest in the entire second half; his chest was heaving violently.
Charles Barkley, also 38, sat on the bench, with the team doctor tightly wrapping thick ice packs around his knees. Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, despite scoring an astonishing 35 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, showed deep fatigue in his massive frame.
This super team, with an average starting lineup age of 18, relied on the incredible resilience of its star players in dire situations to narrowly win Game 7 112-106, securing the final ticket to the NBA Finals.
At the post-game press conference, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson maintained his signature composure.
"This has been a great series, Sacramento Kings are a respectable team," Phil said calmly into the microphone, "But true champions must endure this kind of purgatory."
Inevitably, reporters in Los Angeles raised the question that everyone was concerned about.
" Phil, your opponent in the NBA Finals is the Boston Celtics. They're undefeated in the Eastern Conference, and Rick Carlisle has been using a 12-man rotation throughout the playoffs. What are your thoughts on that?"
Upon hearing this question, Phil Jackson's lips curled into a slight smile.
"A twelve-man rotation?" Phil shook his head slightly, giving an extremely clear assessment. "The competitive environment in the Eastern Conference is too weak. Neither Toronto nor Orlando has forced Boston to reveal their true strength."
Phil paused, then continued, "Under the high-pressure defense of the NBA Finals, it's impossible for bench players to maintain a consistent output. Rick Carlisle could play with twelve players in the Eastern Conference because they put the game into garbage time early. But when they face us, he'll find that this long rotation simply doesn't work. In the NBA Finals, you have to give playing time to your core star."
This interview was broadcast live on television and clearly transmitted to the Celtics' training facility in Massachusetts.
He fell for it.
In the video editing room, Lin Qi looked at Phil Jackson on the TV screen, then turned to Rick Carlisle and smiled, "He firmly believes we use a long rotation because the Eastern Conference is too weak, resulting in a lot of garbage time. He has no idea that that twelve-man long rotation was actually our plan for the Lakers."
Rick Carlisle nodded. "Let him wake up in the second quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. By then, the Lakers ' veterans' stamina issues will need to be addressed."
After exchanging a few brief tactical details, Lin Qi left the recording room.
It was already Late Night, but the lights in the training facility were still on. Lin Qi looked down the corridor and saw that Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett hadn't gone home, but were sitting on the empty sideline of the court, each holding a bottle of water and watching a television.
On TV, they were replaying Michael Jordan's game-winning fadeaway jumper in the final moments of Game 7.
Lin Qi didn't go over to disturb them; instead, he stopped in his tracks.
"That old guy, he's 38 and still so good at it." Gary Payton watched the scene of Jordan panting on TV, unscrewed the cap and took a big gulp of water, his tone carrying a complex meaning.
"He was the highest Mountain all along." Garnett let out a long sigh, his gaze somewhat lost in thought.
From the moment Garnett was drafted by the Celtics, the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan were an inescapable dark cloud hanging over the entire Eastern Conference and even the entire league. The young Garnett grew rapidly in Boston, and he had countless times rehearsed in his mind how to overcome that Mountain on the playoff stage.
"Actually, back in '98, I really thought we had a chance to face them in the Eastern Conference Finals." Gary Payton gripped the plastic bottle in his hand, his voice low, filled with undisguised regret and anger.
The 1997-1998 season, the season Jordan had his "last dance" with the Chicago Bulls, is one of the things that Gary Payton and Garnett regret the most.
That year's Celtics had a decent roster on paper, with the inside-outside combination of Gary Payton and Garnett already demonstrating formidable strength. Not to mention, they also had Eddie Jones, Robert Horry, Dikembe Mutombo, and others. They were all eager to challenge the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
But in the end, they didn't even get to stand in front of Jordan, and were humiliatingly swept out of the first round by the New York Knicks.
The reason wasn't a lack of basketball skills. It was that the team's head coach at the time Rick Pitino, wanted to establish absolute authority in the locker room, so he targeted star player Gary Payton. Pitino constantly suppressed Gary Payton, trying to force Gary Payton into submission. This foolish power struggle directly ruined that season.
The Celtics were plagued by internal strife, internal chaos, and a lack of cohesion. They entered the playoffs riddled with internal conflicts and were easily dismantled by the Knicks.
"That idiot Pitino ruined our best chance," Gary Payton muttered coldly. "I don't care who's the leader, I only care about winning. He wasted a year of my life. By the time that season was over, Jordan would be retired, and we wouldn't even have a chance to prove ourselves to the Chicago Bulls."
Garnett didn't say anything, he just silently clenched his fists.
He vividly remembered the frustration of losing a game for reasons other than basketball, and even being deprived of the right to challenge the strongest player. They thought that after Jordan retired, they would never have the chance to personally challenge the legend created by that man on the playoff stage again.
But now, fate has presented them with an opportunity again in an incredibly magical way.
Jordan is back. Although he's wearing a purple and gold Lakers jersey, and standing next to Shaq O'Neal and Jason Kidd, it's a super team that looks even more terrifying and talent-laden than the Chicago Bulls of yesteryear.
"Four years." Gary Payton stood up, stretched his shoulders, and stared at Jordan's face on the screen. "He's gotten older, but his will to win hasn't changed. But Kevin, we're different now too."
Gary Payton turned his head and looked at Garnett beside him.
Garnett was still developing back then, but now he's the most complete MVP-caliber power forward in the league. Gary Payton was exhausted by the power struggles within the head coaching staff back then, but now Boston has a coach smarter than Pitino and an owner who manages the team impeccably.
"No damn infighting this time, no disgusting locker room politics." Gary Payton tossed his empty water bottle precisely into a distant trash can, his eyes blazing with intense fighting spirit. "This time we have a whole team ready to beat them."
"And this time, we're not just going to get past Michael, but also Shaq and Charles." Garnett stood up, grinning to reveal his pearly white teeth. "Those old bones from Los Angeles finished Game 7, and their legs are probably aching from walking. I've already figured out how to torture them in Game 1 of the NBA Finals."
Standing in the corridor, Lin Qi overheard their conversation and was filled with mixed emotions.
Everything is ready.
Next, the fateful showdown, four years in the making, will finally take place.